Victorian Laser Associationhttp://viclaser.org.au
Official Site of the VLAThu, 01 Nov 2018 22:53:44 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.9http://viclaser.org.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2017/04/cropped-vla-32x32.pngVictorian Laser Associationhttp://viclaser.org.au
3232Laser Worlds 2020http://viclaser.org.au/2018/11/01/laser-worlds-2020/
http://viclaser.org.au/2018/11/01/laser-worlds-2020/#respondThu, 01 Nov 2018 22:35:58 +0000https://viclaser.org.au/?p=1398Australia is in for an amazing summer of sailing in 2020 with the Worlds coming to Melbourne. Check out the 2020 website for all details

]]>http://viclaser.org.au/2018/11/01/laser-worlds-2020/feed/0Saving Sailing in the Olympicshttp://viclaser.org.au/2018/10/03/saving-sailing-in-the-olympics/
http://viclaser.org.au/2018/10/03/saving-sailing-in-the-olympics/#respondWed, 03 Oct 2018 23:24:26 +0000https://viclaser.org.au/?p=1396Saving Sailing in the Olympics by Eric Faust, ILCA Executive Secretary The International Laser Class Association (ILCA) is surprised and disappointed by the announcement that the World Sailing Board has recommended to select new equipment to replace the Laser and Laser Radial …

The announcement comes as part of the equipment reevaluation process that has been ongoing since May of this year. According to the published reevaluation procedure, the board’s recommendation is now meant to be presented to the World Sailing Council for acceptance or rejection at the upcoming World Sailing Conference later this month in Sarasota, Florida.

ILCA is pleased to note that the board’s announcement indicates that the Laser and Laser Radial Classes will be included in the proposed equipment “sea trials” to be held if the board’s proposal is approved by a vote of the World Sailing Council. The sea trials would take place among the Laser Classes and the three other shortlisted candidate classes, so the possibility remains that the Laser and Laser Radial ultimately be confirmed as the equipment for the 2024 Olympic one-person dinghy events.

ILCA is committed to supporting World Sailing to ensure that sailing remains an Olympic sport, and we will continue to comply with all the requirements of the reevaluation process in order to assure that the Laser and Laser Radial Classes remain part of that Olympic program.

Because the Laser and Laser Radial Classes represent the majority of all countries participating in Olympic sailing, ILCA believes that replacing them would create a devastating and unnecessary disruption for the sport and could very well jeopardize sailing remaining in the Olympic Games.

Universality, or the number of countries participating in an Olympic sport, is one of the key metrics used by the International Olympic Committee to evaluate each Olympic sport.

The chart below shows the number of countries participating in Olympic qualifying events for the 2016 Games and clearly illustrates the importance of the Laser on sailing universality. In fact, for the last Olympics the Laser and Laser Radial Classes combined represented 89 of the 94 countries participating in qualifying events across all Olympic classes. And ILCA is already on track to beat those numbers for 2020.

It has taken over 40 years to grow the reach of the Laser Classes to the point seen on the chart above. It is unclear how another class could duplicate in four years what ILCA and the Laser builders worldwide have built over 40.

Considering the other pending changes in Olympic equipment on the World Sailing agenda, if the Laser and Laser Radial Classes are replaced, the obvious question is: Can our sport survive this level of upheaval and remain in the Olympics?

At this time ILCA believes it is critical to our sport that the Laser and Laser Radial Classes are retained as the foundation of the Olympic sailing program.

In advance of the upcoming World Sailing meeting, ILCA will be reaching out to our members, our district associations, and all the national sailing federations to help ensure that the correct decisions are made in the best interest of our sport.

]]>http://viclaser.org.au/2018/07/19/psa-masters-laser-coaching-clinic-by-brett-beyer-fiji-2018/feed/0VLA 2020 Worlds fundraisinghttp://viclaser.org.au/2018/06/18/vla-2020-worlds-fundraising/
http://viclaser.org.au/2018/06/18/vla-2020-worlds-fundraising/#respondMon, 18 Jun 2018 23:29:18 +0000https://viclaser.org.au/?p=1377 The Victorian Laser Association (VLA) a non for profit organisation has been awarded the rights to host the Men’s Laser World Championships, the Women’s Laser World Championships, the Men’s Radial World Championships, the Laser Master’s World Championships, the Oceania …

The Victorian Laser Association (VLA) a non for profit organisation has been awarded the rights to host the Men’s Laser World Championships, the Women’s Laser World Championships, the Men’s Radial World Championships, the Laser Master’s World Championships, the Oceania Laser Championships, the Australian Laser National Championship and Australian Laser Master’s Championship in 2020.

This is a fantastic opportunity for Australian sailors to compete with the best in world in the lead up to the 2020 Olympics in Japan, and to sail in a World Championships, an experience than many sailors never get to enjoy.

The VLA hopes to raise funds and seeks your support to:

· Make the events world class, and memorable for all the sailors and spectators.

· Promote Australia as the destination for sailing in the summer of 2020 in the lead up to the 2020 Olympics.

· Promote the events to International Competitors to increase participation.

· Generate a surplus to enable the VLA to increase participation in sailing, provide coaching to all Laser sailors and encourage others to experience the sport of sailing and the camaraderie that develops in a sport enjoyed by participants of all ages.

The Events will be hosted by Sandringham Yacht Club and Royal Geelong Yacht Club and will be run predominantly by large team of volunteers with assistance provided where necessary with event support.

Your contribution will help the VLA promote, conduct and make these events enjoyable and memorable for all the participants (sailors, supporters and volunteers) and generate a legacy that can be used to increase participation in sailing a sport enjoyed by all ages.

]]>http://viclaser.org.au/2018/06/12/laser-activate-day-geelong-yacht-club/feed/0Family, Friends and Fiji……http://viclaser.org.au/2018/05/25/family-friends-and-fiji/
http://viclaser.org.au/2018/05/25/family-friends-and-fiji/#respondFri, 25 May 2018 03:45:45 +0000https://viclaser.org.au/?p=1364Family, friends and Fiji! Inquiries are flying in for the inaugural Oceania Laser Masters Championship which will see the fleet take over the Denarau region of Fiji’s main island from the 13th to 19th of October this year. So far …

Inquiries are flying in for the inaugural Oceania Laser Masters Championship which will see the fleet take over the Denarau region of Fiji’s main island from the 13th to 19th of October this year.

So far eight countries are set to be represented for the two event regatta which includes the standard and radial rigs. Sailors from Australia, New Zealand, UK, USA, Hawaii, Thailand, Singapore and of course Fiji, are on the entry list to enjoy the tranquil surroundings and epic racing.

This unique and history making event is open to every master sailor no matter where they reside. No where else can you pull your boat up on the beach, walk into a resort and have a post race cocktail, out of a coconut, with an umbrella, and a slice of pineapple. It’s postcard perfect!

This is the first Laser event for the Fijian island, and the future of regattas, including a worlds bid for 2021 is in the hands of the sailors. The Laser Oceania Masters Championship needs to be a huge success to trigger the funds that are available to support the growth of sailing in Fiji, which will then ignite the sport and propel it to other regions of the Pacific, including emerging nations.

Dan Slater from The Watershed in Auckland, New Zealand is ready to take on his next masters regatta after claiming a gold medial in the Laser Standard Apprentice division at the 2017 World Masters Games.

For Dan, this is both a serious regatta, and a relaxing family holiday.

“It’s pretty cold in Auckland during October so I’m keen to get out of here and to hang out in Fiji!

“This regatta will be a good chance to have a hit out against some of the best masters sailors and at the same time I can gather extra brownie points with my wife, because it’s sailing, and a holiday wrapped up into one awesome package!”

What a guy.

“I’m away at lot for sailing, so at least I can take my family, they can have a chilled out holiday, while I get to sail. This regatta in Fiji ticks all the boxes and the deals from Fiji Airways and the Sofitel Spa and Resort are fantastic,” said a very excited Dan while he was busy working away in his shop at Takapuna, and coming up with other ways to work on his brownie points.

So what did Dan’s wife Rachelle have to say about this?!

“Who doesn’t want to go to Fiji!!!!”

Rachelle is definitely an excited sailing widow when it comes to the idea of heading to the tropical island.

“I used to travel with Dan to his regattas around the world, but that was pre-kids. Now I just wave him off on his merry way while I get to stay at home, so the idea of being able to head to the Sofitel Spa and Resort in Fiji and chill out with the kids by the pool while Dan is sailing is definitely an event that appeals to me,” said Rachelle.

“I’m keen to expose our kids to the life of sailing and the friends you can meet along the way. It’s more than just the on water component, making life long friends is just as important and picking the next shift!” said Rachelle.

The Fijian Yachting Association and the Fijian Government are ready to fork out funds to support sailing as it is seen as a healthy and environmentally friendly, sport that will encourage local Fijian kids to see beyond the reef which surrounds them. And sailing forms friendships that last a lifetime.

Come on masters sailors – give back to the sport and the class that has given you opportunities to travel the worlds and compete at some of the best locations. Add Fiji to that list, and stay at the Sofitel Spa and Resort, be pampered pre and post racing, and relax with your friends and family at a regatta which feels more like a holiday.

We have it on good authority that Kava does wonders for post race aches and ailments !

]]>http://viclaser.org.au/2018/04/13/fiji-2018-oceania-laser-masters-championships/feed/0Laser Training Program for 2018/19http://viclaser.org.au/2018/04/06/laser-training-program-2018-19/
http://viclaser.org.au/2018/04/06/laser-training-program-2018-19/#respondFri, 06 Apr 2018 02:44:58 +0000http://viclaser.org.au/?p=1347 Laser Training program for 2018/19 Have a whole lot more fun in your Laser; get stronger, go faster, race smarter! Meet new people, develop great training and traveling friendships, jump up the results table at club, state, national and …

Meet new people, develop great training and traveling friendships, jump up the results table at club, state, national and world’s regattas.

The Victorian Laser Association training plan for 2018/19 is designed to cater for Laser sailors wanting to join with others to share and collaborate to develop knowledge and skills faster.

The VLA Program contains a mixture of:

· 21 Sunday morning training sessions around the bay, and when possible followed by club racing in the afternoon. 7 of these sessions run in line with the Mordialloc Winter Series over August and September; those wanting the real boot camp experience are invited to join an early morning ride from 6am that same day;

· Three two day training camps: Indented Head; Sail Country Lake Hume; and Flinders for the Big Wave event;

· 6 days of Race Craft coaching through the following events: the Laser Port Phillips Championships, Sail Mordy, and Sail Country Regatta on Lake Hume, Albury-Wodonga.

The program will be led by Mark Tonner-Joyce, VLA Head Coach and Australian Sailing qualified Performance Coach. Mark will include coaching by other qualified Laser Coaches through the program; all of whom will provide Class specific Laser coaching.

The planned dates are included in the calendar. Weekend sessions will be scheduled at Laser fleet clubs and locations providing great environments akin to the environment anticipated at National Championships. Long downwind sessions will be set point to point as the breeze allows. Numerous training sessions will be held at the club where the Victorian Laser Sailing Team (VST) are sailing for the weekend, so there is an opportunity to build the Laser fleet by combining activities between the groups, for young sailors, and less experience sailors to mix and compete with the VST.

The program is available for an Annual Subscription of $2,000 (that’s an average of $38.45 per session, or $11.17 per contact hour, if you attend all the sessions – total contact hours are estimated at approx. 180).

This annual subscription will be payable in two instalments via Trybooking on: 31st March and the 1st October.

Alternatively Laser sailors are welcome to join in on a “pay as you go” basis at $50.00 per session through Trybooking. However where the numbers are restricted for safety reasons, sailors in the annual program will be guaranteed places first.

Annual VLA Training Subscribers will have use of the private Facebook group for coach recorded videos, and analysis, other training links, communication re session plans and upcoming training.

The open VLA Facebook page for all Laser sailors will receive notification of upcoming events and be kept informed of where groups of Laser Sailors will be sailing so they can join in, on a self-organising or user-pays basis.